Educate me- building furniture

[Bill]

How hard, and what tools besides my radial arm saw, router and buying large clamps would I need to build these? I have basic woodworking skills and knowledge.

We’re retired in Montana and been talking to a local woodworking shop about building us 2 pieces for our living room. After meeting with him he gave us a budgetary price of $3k each for 2 credenzas, and he’d prepare a drawing and then provide a firm quote.

He did the drawing, we made sone updates, he changed, we approved, he quoted. Almost $17k! He does beautiful work- but I think that’s out of sight.

I’d never ask him to prepare a drawing on his nickel and then shop it for better pricing or build it myself. I honestly thought we’d be ordering from him until his price was over 2x the budgetary.

My wife’s been searching on the web for months and we can’t find a store/ supplier with anything traditional like this. Maybe it’s the 60” width.

How hard would it be to build? I’ve seen some great work posted in the past on TBH.

He quoted distressed walnut- which could be a factor in his pricing. I could build in some other wood, possibly reclaimed lumber?

Help.






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[Texastaxi]

Most furniture is a box with fancier doors. Sometimes the sides are fancy.

I've built a lot of "furniture" (taxidermy pedestals) and lots of cabinets.
To get started, at minimum, you'll need a table saw, miter saw, planer, a router table and several different router bits. To build those doors, you're going to need a pretty hefty router ... the bit that cuts them is about 5" in diameter.

If I had the time, I could build those for a lot less.

[Jon B]

It's not difficult to build, the key is building in a way in which you are happy with the finished product. Everyone raves about my projects but I see the tiny imperfections and it drives me crazy.

That being said, I have never tried raised panel construction. I don't see it being super difficult, but I bet it's a booger to make it look right.

[LeanMachine]

I would re-design the face panels to not need a shaper to cut them. You could create a very similar look with some jigs on a table saw.

A table saw is probably the single most valuable tool for woodworking. You could even live without a miter saw if you had a nice cross cut sled for the table saw.

[WItoTX]

The distressing is part of what jacks up the price. People love that stuff, and it doesn't take much effort to distress something, but it is definitely an art form that if you are not good at, will look terrible. It is also a pain to work with knots, but from a woodworking perspective, you get to use more of the board then you typically would. The top is also an inch and a half, which is thicker and more expensive lumber to pick up, most is usually 3/4", or even 13/16".

The walnut is also expensive. It's one of the more expensive domestic woods to build out of. I personally love maple, or even cherry, because you get a wider variety in color. And it is cheaper.

Nothing you are building is complicated or hard. I could build any of it, for significantly less. Another thing to consider. What are you used for drawer slides? This things can get expensive too.

Those items you have drawn could be built, at cost, for $2000, and maybe two 40-hour weeks. I don't know what labor is up there for a skilled carpenter like that, but all in, maybe $7000 ish?

[smokeless]

A table saw, router, sander, kreig tool will get you there.

[Quackerbox]

Ive seen some shorts on youtube where a guy cuts those middle panels using a table saw set to the angle so its possible. Very time consuming.

Like Jon B said I get complements on stuff Ive done but I see every flaw. There is no way I could make money doing it cause I work very slow and the hourly rate would be crazy. Its more of a piddle in the garage thing.

[E.TX.BOWHUNTER]

I would use a shaper for those doors. I never used a router for something that large. You can redesign the raised panel and use the tablesaw to cut it by going diagonally across the blade. Use the other tools as mentioned.

[adam_p]

That panel is way too much milling to be done with a router. We use a big shaper and I'd probably do it in 2 passes with that.

Knotty alder would get you a similar look for far less money than knotty walnut.

[Bill]

Thanks! All our doors and wood trim are knotty alder, so that would work.

The door panels in the drawing are not a ‘must have’, those were in his design. Simplifying that would make it easier.


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[Bill]

The distressing is part of what jacks up the price. People love that stuff, and it doesn't take much effort to distress something, but it is definitely an art form that if you are not good at, will look terrible. It is also a pain to work with knots, but from a woodworking perspective, you get to use more of the board then you typically would. The top is also an inch and a half, which is thicker and more expensive lumber to pick up, most is usually 3/4", or even 13/16".

The walnut is also expensive. It's one of the more expensive domestic woods to build out of. I personally love maple, or even cherry, because you get a wider variety in color. And it is cheaper.

Nothing you are building is complicated or hard. I could build any of it, for significantly less. Another thing to consider. What are you used for drawer slides? This things can get expensive too.

Those items you have drawn could be built, at cost, for $2000, and maybe two 40-hour weeks. I don't know what labor is up there for a skilled carpenter like that, but all in, maybe $7000 ish?

Interested in building them if I decide it’s beyond my ability? I’ve been looking for a good reason to get back to Texas and have been threatening to go to Bownanza for years. I wonder if 2 could fit in an 8’ bed with a cap?


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[Rubberdown]

Honestly the thing to do is get back with him and say how do we get in budget.

[FLASH_OUTDOORS]

Thanks! All our doors and wood trim are knotty alder, so that would work.

The door panels in the drawing are not a ‘must have’, those were in his design. Simplifying that would make it easier.


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Ask the guy what he could use to get you closer to his original budget estimate. I’m willing to bet the increase was due to the distressed walnut

Have you tried asking him why his budget increased more than double?


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[FLASH_OUTDOORS]

Educate me- building furniture

I threw this together last week with left overs cedar from my exterior ceiling. I see every flaw. Everyone else loves it. Wife didn’t want to bring it to the lease.

I used: miter saw, table saw, drill, Brad nailer





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[BrianL]

I used to build antique reproduction with old wood 4 panel doors. You could easily build that using doors.

For reference

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255566467388?hash=item3b80f2d13c:g:2ccAAOSwFzBimkro